Two New Studies Expose Dangers of Cannabis Use

Researchers from the University of Bristol in Britain have found that both
regular and occasional marijuana use as a teenager is associated with
a greater risk of other illicit drug taking in early adulthood.

The study by Bristol's Population Health Science Institute also found
cannabis use was associated with harmful drinking and smoking. The researchers
looked at marijuana use among more than 5,000 British teenagers aged 13–18.
One in five used cannabis.

Unlike in the US, cannabis is often smoked with tobacco in the United Kingdom.
The study found that UK teens who regularly used cannabis were 37 times
more likely to be nicotine dependent and three times more likely to have
a harmful drinking pattern than non-users by the time they were 21. Even
more troubling, they were 26 times more likely to use other illicit drugs.

"I think the most important findings from this study are that one
in five adolescents follow a pattern of occasional or regular cannabis
use and that those individuals are more likely to be tobacco dependant,
have harmful levels of alcohol consumption or use other illicit drugs
in early adulthood," said the study's lead author, Dr Michelle
Taylor. “We have added further evidence that suggests adolescent
cannabis use does predict later problematic substance use in early adulthood.”

Cannabis is illegal to possess, grow, distribute or sell in the United
Kingdom. In the US, it remains an illegal substance under federal law
but 64 percent of Americans now live in states that permit the medical
use of marijuana for a variety of conditions, including epilepsy, Parkinson's
disease, multiple sclerosis and posttraumatic stress disorder. Eight states
and the District of Columbia have fully legalized marijuana for recreational
use for adults who are 21 years of age and older. One of those states
is Oregon where voters approved legalization in 2014 and the law took
effect in 2015.

A
new study by Oregon State University found that “rates of marijuana use increased from pre- to post-2015
at six of the seven universities, a trend that was significant overall.
Increases in rates of marijuana use were significantly greater in Oregon
than in comparison institutions, but only among students reporting recent
heavy alcohol use.”

Binge drinking with easy access to marijuana is a recipe for disaster.
Students at the Oregon university who reported binge drinking were 73
percent more likely to also report marijuana use compared to peers at
schools in states where marijuana remains illegal. “Those who binge
drink may be more open to marijuana use if it is easy to access, whereas
those who avoid alcohol for cultural or lifestyle reasons might avoid
marijuana regardless of its legal status,” said the study’s
lead author David Kerr, an associate professor in the School of Psychological
Science in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts.

The researchers also found that Oregon students under age 21—the
minimum legal age for purchasing and using marijuana—showed higher
rates of marijuana use than those over 21.

“This was a big surprise to us, because legalization of use is actually
having an impact on illegal use,” said Harold Bae, the study’s
primary statistician.

“Americans are conducting a big experiment with marijuana,”
Kerr said. The outcome of that experiment might be even more addiction
in the United States.